


Maybe we could stick around

by GalaxyPixel



Category: Cut & Run - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux, Sidewinder Series - Abigail Roux
Genre: Eli's POV, Emotional, I needed to write his side of it, M/M, he is haunting his friends, it might make you cry, part and parcel, part and parcel spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:54:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29886927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalaxyPixel/pseuds/GalaxyPixel
Summary: Elias Sanchez wrote letters for his friends when he died. This is his side of that part of the story, him haunting his friends to see if they follow the rules.
Relationships: Kelly Abbott/Nick O'Flaherty, Zane Garrett/Ty Grady
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Maybe we could stick around

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Krit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krit/gifts).



> I finished p&p like 2 days ago and this wouldn't leave me alone. It was like my way to process that this series really ended. Big thanks to Tyler for beta-reading this because my tenses were all over the place.  
> And I'm dedicating it to Krit, because I liveblogged a lot and because of your work schedule you were always there to cheer me on and cry and laugh with me. The rest too, but you also misled me when I read spoilers (by accident) so thank you. This is for you

Eli stared at the letters in front of him. He’d written them, put them in envelopes and numbered them in the right order. The order they were meant to be read. Hopefully never, because he was planning on writing new ones every couple of years. If the guys were reading these he died before he turned forty, which was a depressing thought. He knew his job was dangerous, but still. He just hoped if they read this, it meant he completely forgot about the letters and the rest of them were in their eighties, laughing because they would get sore knees and bad backs from the things he wrote in the letters.

He would put it in a box, bundle them together with the letter to Nick on top. If he died young, he knew he could trust his mom to give this to Nick. And he could trust Nick to follow the rules and go on the trip. Nick would be the one getting them all together, he had that power. Thinking back on when he wrote this he smiled. Nick was right there with him in the hospital, just outside his room. The only reason Eli didn’t cry while writing the letters was because he wasn’t planning on dying soon. He had things to do, places to see, people to find. Beginning with his son. He left the box with letters on his table when he left for work. Catch a killer, then go back to his letters that he found. He might need to rewrite them, the hospital had been a while ago. Or he’d just look through them, see if the things in there still applied.

That was the last time Elias Sanchez left his house. He would go to work, where he’d be sent to stay in a hotel room for the case he was working on. He never would come back from that hotel, being killed by the killer he and his partner were tracking.

Over the years after his death, Eli kept track of his boys. When he realised Ty loved his partner, he smiled. Tyler deserved it. He wasn’t always around to keep track of them, sometimes he spent months just watching over his own family, seeing his mother cook, or standing on a beach staring out over the water. So when he went to check up on Nick and saw him fucking Kelly, he was surprised. But it didn’t come as a complete shock, he’d always known Nick was bi. And they fit, even if he didn’t want to see them fucking. He made sure to keep more tabs on them, switch between the remaining members of Sidewinder and try to figure out what had happened in NOLA. He liked Zane and Eli grinned with joy when he finally accepted Ty’s proposal. He wished them all the luck. 

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he was sad Nick hadn’t opened his letters yet. But then he looked around and realised Nick wasn’t ready yet, there was too much going on, with Ty and Zane, with Kelly and Nick, with the mafia. It was too much, he wanted them to go on the trip when their bodies allowed it. So he didn’t start haunting Nick yet. But when Nick found the letters again in 2013, almost five years after he died, he made sure Nick wouldn’t forget about them. It was time, no matter what Kelly thought about Nick's health. It was time they opened the letters and healed, Eli could see they’d need it.

When they started to read the letter next to his grave, Eli wiped his eyes. They all trusted Nick when he called them, they all came, no questions asked. Hearing them read the letter he wrote years ago brought back memories and emotions he didn’t know he was capable of as a dead person. When the first rule was read out loud, he saw both couples look at each other in quick disappointment. He knew Ty and Zane could do it, it would be hard, but he wasn’t that worried. He was a little more worried for Nick and Kelly since their relationship had always been physical, even before they threw romance and sex into the mix. But he did want them to focus as a group, so if he needed to haunt them because they broke the rules, he would.

Eli kept tabs on them the whole trip. He told them to do these things, so he wanted to see it happen too. It made him smile to see how easy they got back into it, just following Eli’s rules. He didn’t blame Ty for taking his kittens with them, or his husband. Zane was an amazing guy, he wished he could’ve met Zane properly, in person. For now, he had plenty of fun haunting their Pandora app. He didn’t understand why Nick and Zane hadn’t switched bed partners from the start, surely they would have realised that sleeping next to your partner but not having sex would be hard? Apparently, they needed a wake-up call to not forget the rules, so he picked his favourite song until both couples stopped, and switched bed partners. 

Nick had a lot of faith in Eli, he realised halfway through the trip. He did everything, no questions asked. He followed all the rules, or at least, tried to, and wanted to do it perfectly. Eli was glad they were all having fun, even if there were some difficult conversations in between. He saw them grow up and heal slowly. If their bodies were transparent, Eli would’ve seen the cracks slowly being filled again. They all pretended they were glued together after their stint in Miami, but being glued together doesn’t mean you’re all healed, the glue doesn’t reach everywhere. Every day, Eli thanked himself for writing these letters, for making sure his brothers would heal even after he was gone.

Watching both teams trying to capture the flag in Yellowstone Park was the funniest thing he’d seen in years. Six grown-ass men playing capture the flag way more intense than it was ever intended to be. Eli was glad he’d said they should use the Jacksonville rules because if he didn’t, they might have used weapons, or something else, and hurt each other way more than what happened now. When they were sleeping, Eli sat next to the cats, if they weren’t sleeping on top of Ty or Nick. He liked the kittens, wishing he could pet them. One time it felt as if both of the kittens had realised his presence and purred at him. 

When they left Yellowstone and realised Eli was taking them back to the place where Kelly lived, Eli made sure to keep a closer eye on them. So far it had been fun, but the next letter would bring emotions. He had found a dime in his pocket years ago, it probably got there because nobody checked the pockets of his dress uniform when he was buried. Eli didn’t always clean out his pockets and a dime as tiny as this was easily overlooked. He knew he had to give it to the boys now, they’d need a lucky dime for their sightseeing. He dropped the dime on the road, right where Nick was pacing. He smiled when Nick picked it up and pocketed it. 

Later at the hotel, Eli was grinning so hard his mouth muscles started to hurt. Okay, Kelly and Nick were arguing and screaming at each other and it _hurt_ , but it was progress. They were talking more and more, which was a good thing. And in the end, before they went to sleep, they were cuddling again. Eli had faith that they would resolve their issues before they were done with the road trip. And when they talked and kissed on the side of the road, Eli was certain it would all turn out okay.

Seeing Kelly frowning and feeling guilty for leaving first even when Eli told him in the letter that it was a good thing, made Eli pause. He did want Kelly to know that it was a good thing because if he hadn’t left, none of them would have, which wouldn’t bring them to where they are now. Seeing Tyler also throw away some weight from his shoulders after Nick’s little speech made Eli realise that he did a good thing, writing that letter. He wanted them to confront their emotions, his stubborn brothers who ignored all talking. It would be good for them, no matter how much tears it would take.

Eli loved torturing all three couples during the trip. He knew Owen would break first in San Diego, with Ty and Zane shortly after. He was amazed at the self-restraint Nick had when Kelly suggested to ignore the rules. They stopped just before the real fucking began, and Eli was impressed. Even when they were engaged, _engaged!_ , they didn’t go all the way. 

Sitting in the booth where the three of them talked about Burns' offer, Eli realised that Nick had always been right. And Ty did good telling him that. Even Zane, who wasn’t part of Sidewinder for very long, knew how to convince Nick about his worth. When Nick slowly realised what Eli wanted to tell him it took all of Eli’s willpower to not give him a ghost hug right there. Nick deserved all the love and recognition he got, and it finally got through in his brain.

When Nick and Kelly got hot and bothered in their hotel room, Eli decided they deserved it. Instead of playing his Spanish cockblock song, he played another one, one he knew for sure Kelly would recognise. He was glad when Kelly got the message and let out a chuckle when Nick threw the phone into the hallway. He decided to leave them alone for the night, he’d never been into voyeurism anyways.

Sitting in the bar hearing Ty getting choked up over his letter made Eli want to hug him. He wanted to hug all his brothers, but he knew they weren’t done yet. He knew sharing a secret would be one of the hardest things. Hearing Zane continue reading out loud made it possible for Eli to look over the faces of his friends, his brothers. When Zane got to the secret he wrote down, he saw their shock. Owen promising to try his best and find his son gave Eli some peace he never knew he needed until now. He wanted his son to know him, even if he couldn’t talk to his son himself.

Eli kept a close eye on all of them, especially when Nick started telling about his secret. He was glad they were all happy for Nick and Kelly’s engagement, but he knew Nick’s secret could bring the mood down again. When Kelly walked away after Nick spilled his heart, Eli wanted to throw something. He saw how Kelly walking away was hurting Nick, Kelly should just scream and yell like always. Because then Nick knew what to expect. Kelly walking away was new because Kelly wanted to calm down before he did something he regretted. Eli learned later that night that both of them made up and that Kelly wouldn’t walk away next time. 

Eli stood behind his headstone, facing the others. When they all started to say their last words, Eli said them too. He never forgot them, he never would. When Nick sank to the ground and broke down, Eli moved to sit in front of Nick. He couldn’t hug him, he would just go straight through him. So, sitting in front of him gave the illusion he could support Nick. Hearing Nick whisper that he didn’t remember their last words, broke Eli.

“It’s okay Nick, it’s okay. I love you brother, don’t forget it.”

He stroked the Dime Nick left on top of his headstone and stood there, watching his brothers help Nick walk away, leaning on each other. When Zane whispered they still needed him and he shouldn’t leave them yet, all Eli could utter was: “I won’t. I promise. Oorah, brother.”


End file.
